Comfort Foods

Tuesday

Jan 29, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Childhood memories spark thoughts of comfort food.

Anne Kirchner

When you're having a really bad day, what kind of food do you eat? In the movies it's common to see women gravitating toward chocolate or a tub of ice cream. Men tend to consume lots of alcohol. I have to admit when I'm feeling down there aren't many foods that make me feel better.

It's difficult to put much effort into cooking when your mind is full of disconnected thoughts and you are worried about what tomorrow will bring. Tonight as my spirits were down I recalled childhood moments that somehow brightened the moment. Funny, those memories all occured in the kitchen long, long ago.

My mother entrusted me with the beaters from her hand mixer each time she baked a cake. My tastebuds tingled as I licked the thick, chocolate batter. In late spring, I relished my mother's homemade cobbler prepared with sour cherries picked from a tree in our back yard. And then there were the very rare moments when my mother lifted me up onto the kitchen counter. She then filled a fragile apertif glass with creme de menthe, and I was allowed one small sip.